About | HeinOnline Law Journal Library | HeinOnline Law Journal Library | HeinOnline
LOG IN
LOG IN

1 1 (September 27, 2017)

handle is hein.crs/govcgvv0001 and id is 1 raw text is: &~ ~ riE SE ~$rCh &~ ~ ~ September 27, 2017 The Philippines: War on Drugs and Human Rights Concerns Since he was elected in July 2016, Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte has waged a domestic War on Drugs. Reports linking Duterte's counterdrug policies with possibly thousands of extrajudicial killings have caused widespread international concern. At the same time, the Philippines is a U.S. treaty ally with which the United States shares many regional security interests, and is one of the largest recipients of U.S. assistance in Southeast Asia. A key issue for Congress is how to address human rights issues in the Philippines while taking into consideration ongoing shared interests in regional security and other areas. Duterte remains popular in Philippine public opinion polls, further complicating efforts to address human rights concerns. (For more information, see CRS In Focus IF 10250, The Philippines.) Estimates of the number of alleged drug offenders killed in the drug war have varied: * In February 2017, the Philippine National Police (PNP) reported that some 7,000 drug-related killings had occurred between July 2016 and February 2017, including approximately 2,500 as a result of shootouts between alleged drug offenders and police and another 4,500 by unknown assailants or vigilantes. * In July 2017, the Philippine government revised its numbers. This has led various sources to report that between July 2016 and July 2017, approximately 3,500 people were killed in presumed legitimate law enforcement operations and another 2,000 possibly were killed by unknown assailants or vigilantes. The government has ruled another several thousand deaths, possibly connected to the drug war, as homicides under investigation. * Human rights groups estimate that 9,000-14,000 alleged drug offenders were killed extra-judicially between July 2016 and August 2017. An estimated 1.8 million people use illegal drugs in the Philippines, mostly methamphetamine (known as shabu) sourced from China, according to government statistics. The U.S. Department of State's 2017 International Narcotics Control Strategy Report states that widespread poverty, corruption, and porous borders contribute to an ongoing and lucrative drug trafficking environment. As mayor of the southern Philippine city of Davao (from 1988-1998 and from 2001-2010), Duterte was known for his harsh anti-crime policies. He publicly named alleged drug dealers and reportedly hired unofficial groups to monitor and sometimes kill drug suspects. Vigilantes known as the Davao Death Squad reportedly killed 1,400 criminal suspects during his tenure as mayor. In July 2016, when Duterte began his term as President, the PNP launched Operation Double Barrel, aimed at eliminating and arresting suspected drug syndicates and traffickers and small-scale sellers and users of illegal drugs. A key component of the campaign involves the police visiting the homes of drug suspects and urging them to surrender to law enforcement authorities (Oplan Tokhang or Operation Knock and Plead.) War on Drugs: At a Glance Estimated Deaths of Alleged Drug Offenders dJuly 201 6-August 2017): 3,800-14,000 Number of Polite Officers Killed in Anti-Drug Operations (July 2016-Au gu st 2017) :76 Number of Accredited Drug Rehabilitation Centers: 46 U.S. Counternarcotkcs Assistance, FY201 16: $4.82 million Sources: Philippine government and independent reports. In January 2017, the Duterte Administration temporarily suspended the drug war in response to the abduction and killing of a South Korean businessman in a counternarcotics operation. The government resumed anti-drug operations in late March 2017, promising that the next phase of the campaign, named Operation Double Barrel: Reloaded, would involve greater vetting of law enforcement personnel and be less bloody. 8~uman Ri§Zh,,t A,,ea'~,s Human rights groups have identified widespread characteristics and patterns of the drug war that allegedly have violated human rights and international norms, including: * Payment by the PNP to vigilantes for killing drug offenders. In some cases, assailants were suspected of being PNP officers in disguise. * Entry by police into the homes of alleged drug sellers and users without search warrants, as well as beatings and coerced confessions. * Killings in the homes of victims, while they were in police custody, and at off-site locations, many of them execution-style. * Claims by PNP officials that police shot and killed suspected drug offenders in self-defense, while human rights groups argue that few of the victims had been charged with a crime and that most of them did not possess weapons. In some cases, victims who agreed to surrender to authorities reportedly were shot anyway. * Police planting of evidence at the scenes of some killings, fabricating reports, holding detainees for ransom, and stealing property from victims. N.: z:O&X:2$' ~.Ct fl:OC~qK~'$ p\w -- , gnom goo mppm qq\ a , q 'S I 11LULANUALiN,

What Is HeinOnline?

HeinOnline is a subscription-based resource containing thousands of academic and legal journals from inception; complete coverage of government documents such as U.S. Statutes at Large, U.S. Code, Federal Register, Code of Federal Regulations, U.S. Reports, and much more. Documents are image-based, fully searchable PDFs with the authority of print combined with the accessibility of a user-friendly and powerful database. For more information, request a quote or trial for your organization below.



Short-term subscription options include 24 hours, 48 hours, or 1 week to HeinOnline.

Purchase Access

Contact us for annual subscription options:

Contact Us

Already a HeinOnline Subscriber?

Log In

profiles profiles most